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Kingdom Hearts 4 needs to be a reset.There was a time when news of a new Kingdom Hearts entry would have sent me into paroxysms of joy. But the announcement that Kingdom Hearts 4 is in the works barely inspired a “huh, that’s neat.” I’ve been a faithful devotee of the Church of the Keyblade from the moment I heard Hikaru Utada’s “Simple and Clean.” Kingdom Hearts and KH2 were my games, one of the foundational texts at the core of my identity as a gamer. But the spinoffs began to fragment across consoles I didn’t own, and the story devolved into a quagmire of characters and plot points (Aqua got ‘norted!) that even I, with my years of training in the gladiator pits of weird-ass World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy lore, could not... Continue reading…

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images Now that Elon Musk will not be the new member of Twitter’s board of directors, it means more speculation about his true intentions and, yes, more paperwork. Musk has, again, updated the required filing (pdf) for investors buying a significant chunk of a publicly traded company, in which investors must explain their intentions.The new form confirms that any arrangement blocking Musk from trying to buy a significantly larger share of the company is gone, and it lays out various ways he may make his voice heard going forward. The result is a piece of evidence for anyone who suspects Musk’s reversal had something to do with the legal requirements that would come with serving on Twitter’s board.Last week, Musk filed a Schedule 13G form with... Continue reading…

It looks like a crossover. | Image: Lincoln Lincoln, Ford’s luxury brand, has announced that it’ll show off a “fully electric concept vehicle” on April 20th as a way to tease upcoming electric offerings. In a short video, the company shows off a partial outline of the vehicle, which will likely be a smaller SUV or crossover, as the company currently doesn’t make any sedans (sad news for anyone like me who would love a Hyundai-esque ’80s Continental revival).There currently aren’t any fully electric Lincolns, though the company does offer three plugin hybrids, as Electrek points out. Last year, the company announced its plans to “electrify its entire portfolio of vehicles by 2030” and promised that its first full EV would “debut” in 2022.

Image: Block Square’s newest version of its popular Square Stand payment terminal has a payments reader built right in, the company announced on Monday. The stand lets businesses slot in an iPad so it can be used as a point-of-sale device, but the previous version needed a separate reader to accept payments from a card or phone.The new version has its card slot and contactless payments reader right next to the display, and like the previous version of the stand (which was introduced in 2013), the device is designed to spin so that you can access those payment options when it comes time to pay.Square, a subsidiary of Block, also says the stand has new software. “New software for Square Stand creates a faster, more transparent checkout process that... Continue reading…

Workers plant saplings outside the Pavagada Solar Park on October 9, 2021 in Thirumani village, Karnataka, India. | Photo by Abhishek Chinnappa/Getty Images Starting today, customers in the US can donate $1 to plant one tree by telling Alexa-enabled devices, “Alexa, grow a tree,” Amazon announced today. Customers will be able to keep track of how many trees they’ve planted in their Amazon Pay account.Amazon also said that it’s donating $1 million to the environmental charity it’s partnering with on the initiative, called One Tree Planted.It’s worth taking these kinds of efforts with a grain of saltThe money will initially go towards four different projects in the US and India. In Centre County, Pennsylvania, the funds will help to reforest land that was razed for mining, logging and agriculture. In California, “hard-working foresters will dedicate time to promote improved vegetation... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Netflix is introducing a new button to help the streaming service curate your homepage with even better recommendations: Two Thumbs Up.The new feature will join the existing Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down controls that already help Netflix understand what to show individual subscribers. But Two Thumbs Up will allow users to indicate that they really liked something, and the company says that it’s been a highly requested feature within the experience.“Members have never had as many great entertainment options as they have right now,” Christine Doig-Cardet, director of product innovation and personalization experiences at Netflix, tells The Verge. “Being able to find the shows and movies that you’re going to love is really important. We want... Continue reading…

The Batman stars Robert Pattinson at Batman and Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle. | Image: Warner Bros. The Batman, the new Batman movie starring Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader, will be available to stream on HBO Max starting April 18th, WarnerMedia announced Monday. The film first debuted in theaters on March 4th.The quick turnaround shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. While WarnerMedia did release all of its 2021 movie slate simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max, the company has moved to a more traditional theater-first release cycle for many films in 2022, though with a shorter 45-day theatrical exclusivity window.If you’re interested in seeing The Batman when it hits streaming, you might want to check out my colleague Charles Pulliam-Moore’s review first — he says the Batman franchise has “seen better days.” But... Continue reading…

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge The US Department of the Treasury is exempting telecommunications services from ongoing sanctions against Russia. The move, confirmed late last week in an order, follows requests from advocacy groups who feared a disruption would cut off Russian activists’ access to the outside world. It may not, however, cause companies that voluntarily cut off access to restore it.The new order authorizes business transactions involving “services, software, hardware, or technology incident to the exchange of communications over the internet,” including messaging, domain registration, email, and sharing photos or videos. It does not authorize transactions involving Russian financial institutions or state-controlled entities like the Russian Ministry of... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro Here’s everything we know Continue reading…

Key art for Netflix’s upcoming Nimona. | Annapurna Pictures/Netflix Though it once seemed like the animated adaptation of ND Stevenson’s Nimona might end up being stuck in production hell, Annapurna Pictures and Netflix are stepping in to make sure that’s not the case.When Disney acquired 21st Century Fox back in 2019, it also gained ownership of Blue Sky Studios, the animation house behind the Ice Age movies and the previously announced Nimona adaptation. While Disney could have decided to complete Blue Sky Studios’ already in-progress projects like Nimona, the larger company ultimately decided to shutter the studio, leaving 450 employees without jobs and the movie’s future in jeopardy.Today, ND Stevenson took to their Twitter to announce that, after a few setbacks, Nimona — now an Annapurna... Continue reading…

The Vivo X Fold. | Image: Vivo Vivo has announced the X Fold, its first folding phone. The X Fold takes a similar approach to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series and its competitors, with a large 8.03-inch folding screen on the inside for tablet-style use and a more conventional phone-sized screen — in this case, 6.53 inches — on the outside.Like Samsung, Vivo’s folding display uses a layer of Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) produced by Schott, which should help with durability. GSMArena reports that its hinge allows the phone to fold flat or to be propped open at angles between 60 and 120 degrees. According to Android Authority, Vivo advertises that the phone’s screen should survive 300,000 folds, which appears to be a big increase over the 200,000 folds Samsung claimed for its... Continue reading…

Photo by Avery White for The Verge A Fitbit feature that passively monitors users’ heart rhythms was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, the company announced today.The feature periodically checks wearers’ heart rhythms and alerts them if they show signs of atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat that puts people at a higher risk for stroke. Fitbit already had an FDA-cleared EKG app that can do spot checks for the condition, but users had to manually take those readings. The new tool runs in the background.Fitbit ran a study testing the feature in 2020, which found that the tech could correctly identify cases of atrial fibrillation 98 percent of the time. Adding this tool to Fitbit devices brings its heart monitoring tech more in line with the A... Continue reading…

Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images On Monday, Google sued a scammer for allegedly running an online “puppy fraud scheme,” defrauding vulnerable people, including the elderly, out of thousands of dollars with false promises of purebred puppies.The complaint, filed Monday, accuses Nche Noel of Cameroon of using a network of fake websites, Google Voice phone numbers, and Gmail accounts to pretend to sell purebred basset hound puppies to people online. In one instance, a victim paid Noel $700 in “electronic gift cards” to purchase a puppy. After sending the gift cards, Noel continued to string along the victim, telling them that the delivery company needed an additional $1,500. According to the complaint, the puppy never arrived.“Sadly, this scam disproportionately... Continue reading…

Fortnite. Epic’s plans to build a metaverse just got a huge cash injection: today the Fortnite developer announced a $2 billion round of funding, which it says will be used “to advance the company’s vision to build the metaverse and support its continued growth.”The funds come from Sony, which has previously invested in Epic, and KIRKBI, an investment group operated by the Kirk Kristiansen family, which founded the Lego Group. Just last week, Epic and Lego announced a partnership to build a family-friendly take on the metaverse, though with little in the way of concrete detail. According to a press release, both Sony and KIRKBI invested $1 billion as part of the most recent funding round.The nebulous metaverse concept has become a popular... Continue reading…

Food delivery platform DoorDash is adding a new cheaper subscription plan called DashPass for Students. It costs $4.99 a month, half that of its regular $9.99 DashPass subscription, and offers similar benefits including: free delivery on eligible orders over a minimum threshold (generally $12 for restaurants and $25 for grocery orders); 5 percent credit back on pickup orders from certain restaurants; and access to other members-only promotions.DoorDash’s announcement says the student membership will be available to “all undergraduate and graduate students at accredited colleges and universities in the US,” and it’s working with SheerID to verify student status. Its website adds that subscribers are free to “cancel anytime,” with no fees... Continue reading…

Nintendo Nintendo Switch Sports, the follow-up to the wildly popular Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort announced in February, is more imaginative than its boring name might imply. While those Wii titles served as tech demos, of sorts, for Nintendo’s at-the-time new motion controls and Mii characters, Switch Sports feels more like a full game, with more involved controls, better visuals, and a post-launch plan for online modes and in-game cosmetics.Each mini-game looks gorgeous, with detailed venues and more expressive avatars to play as (for those who are curious, you can still use the older Miis on your console, if you really want to get into that Wii Sports mindset). I got to play each of Nintendo Switch Sports six mini-games during my... Continue reading…

Schrödinger’s Cat Burglar is one of the games supported by the fund. | Image: Abandoned Sheep Astra Fund, a venture fund that supports developers making “thinking games,” revealed the first batch of games it’s funding, including an unannounced title from Good Sudoku developer Zach Gage.Let’s first back up and discuss what a “thinking game” is. According to Astra, the term is defined as “cognitively challenging games whose systems and mechanics spark curiosity and require problem solving.” Astra looks for three main features, per its website: “thinky” mechanics, like in Baba Is You and Portal 2; “welcoming worlds,” like in Pikuniku and Thinkrolls; and “compelling narratives,” like in The Gardens Between and Outer Wilds.Here is the list of games:

Yes, it does look like an air purifier. | Image: TP-Link TP-Link has a new “cheap” router. The Deco XE75 is a tri-band Wi-Fi 6E mesh router that should lower the cost barrier for the new 6GHz wireless technology standard. The new two-pack mesh whole home router is available now for $299.99. It’s certainly one of the first signs of Wi-Fi 6E technology reaching affordable pricing, and, best of all, the Deco XE75 seems to cut very few features.$200 cheaper than the Eero Pro 6EThe Deco XE75 covers about 5,500 square feet with the pair and is $200 cheaper than a two-pack of the recently released Eero Pro 6E that covers just 4,000 square feet. And the Deco claims to have a very fast peak wireless network speed of 5.4 Gbps. Though that’s a bit slower than the Linksys Atlas Max 6E at 8.4 Gbps, the... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge What are blockchain bridges, why do they keep getting hacked, and can we ever stop it from happening? Continue reading…

Photo by PATRICK PLEUL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Elon Musk is no longer going to join Twitter’s board, Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal has announced in a message to the company. Last week, Agrawal confirmed that Musk would be appointed to the board following his purchase of 9.2 percent of the company’s shares but now says that Musk has decided against taking up the seat.“We announced on Tuesday that Elon would be appointed to the Board contingent on a background check and formal acceptance,” Agrawal writes. “Elon’s appointment to the board was to become officially effective 4/9, but Elon shared that same day that he will no longer be joining the board. I believe this is for the best. We have and will always value input from our shareholders whether they are on our Board or not. Elon is our... Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Players on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita are having trouble accessing their digital purchases after a strange expiration date suddenly appeared on certain games, as first reported by Kotaku. The problem seems to mostly affect classic titles, preventing users from playing Chrono Cross, Chrono Trigger, and Final Fantasy VI, as the games are now “expired.”But here’s the odd part: the expiration dates are dated half a century in the past. Twitter user Christopher Foose shared an image of his Chrono Cross download, which shows that the game expired on December 31st, 1969 at 7:20 PM. He says the issue only occurred after redownloading the game, and that he’s now unable to play it on PS3 and PS Vita.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Meta is following the Oversight Board’s recommendation to remove an exception that permitted users to share a person’s residential address as long as it’s “publicly available,” the Facebook parent company announced in an updated post (via Engadget).Meta’s response comes about a year after the company asked the Oversight Board to weigh in on its handling of private residential information. The Board issued a response in February, calling on Meta to tighten its policies surrounding the sharing of private home addresses over concerns about doxxing.Although Facebook and Instagram already have rules in place to bar users from sharing someone’s home address, the Meta-owned platforms take no action against posts containing “publicly available... Continue reading…

Image: Square Enix Kingdom Hearts IV is officially in the works. Square Enix announced the upcoming installment during an event in Japan to celebrate the series’ 20th-anniversary. You watch its trailer in the video embedded above.The trailer doesn’t immediately start with Kingdom Hearts IV — it also includes clips from the newly-announced mobile game, Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link, so you’ll have to skip to the 4:09 mark to get a glimpse at Kingdom Hearts IV.Once the trailer opens, you’ll see Sora wake up inside of an apartment as what appears to be a giant heartless sets foot in the city. Sora whips out his Keyblade, parkouring and grappling his way towards the enemy. At the very end of the trailer, Goofy and Donald Duck wander in darkness, coming... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Microsoft seized seven domains belonging to Strontium, also known as Fancy Bear or APT28, a Russian hacking group with ties to the country’s military intelligence agency, the company announced in a blog post (via TechCrunch). According to Microsoft, Russian spies used these sites to target Ukrainian media outlets, as well as foreign policy think tanks and government institutions located in the US and the European Union.Microsoft obtained a court order to take control of each domain on April 6th. It then redirected them to a sinkhole, or a server used by cybersecurity experts to capture and analyze malicious connections. The company says it has seized over 100 domains controlled by Fancy Bear before this most recent takedown.“We believe... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Twitter has confirmed it reversed a change that altered the appearance of deleted tweets embedded on websites outside of Twitter (thanks to @RuinDig on Twitter for pointing this out). Instead of leaving a blank gap in place of the deleted tweets, the site will go back to displaying the tweet’s original text.“After considering the feedback we heard, we’re rolling back this change for now while we explore different options,” Twitter spokesperson Remi Duhé said in an emailed statement to The Verge. “We appreciate those who shared their points of view — your feedback helps us make Twitter better.”If you head to any third-party webpage with an embedded tweet (like this one from The Verge), you’ll see that you can once again see the tweet’s... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple TV Plus’ first-ever live baseball broadcast left some fans frustrated and disappointed, with complaints about connectivity issues and the quality of the commentary surfacing during and after the games (via iMore). The streaming service aired the New York Mets against the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros against the Los Angeles Angels last night, and I think the fans of all four teams can agree on one thing: Apple TV Plus’ Friday Night Baseball debut did not go down as expected.For starters, a number of fans said their broadcasts were interrupted during the games, despite their internet working just fine. When the stream cut out, viewers got an error message that read: “There’s a problem loading this video. If this... Continue reading…

Inside a Pixel 5 smartphone. | Image: iFixit Fresh off big wins with Google, Samsung and Valve, iFixit says more parts deals are nigh Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google Fi is cutting the prices across its two unlimited cellular plans, in addition to adding more high-speed data (via 9to5Google). The Simply Unlimited plan has dropped from $60 / month to $50 / month for one line, while the full-featured Unlimited Plus plan now sits at $65 / month for one line, compared to its previous $70 / month price. This marks the first price cut for the Unlimited Plus and Simply Unlimited plans since their debuts in 2019 and 2021, respectively.The cheaper cost comes with more high-speed dataThe cheaper cost comes with more high-speed data on both plans, increasing from 22GB to 50GB with the Unlimited Plus plan and from 22GB to 35GB with Simply Unlimited. As noted on the MVNO’s updated plans page, Google Fi... Continue reading…

The iRobot Rooma i3 Plus packs a self-emptying clean station and new smart mapping features. It’s time for some spring cleaning, but let’s be smart about it — both with the tech we buy to help us and the money we spend.Wellbots has an extra special discount on one of the most popular and affordable iRobot robovacs around, and it’s exclusive to Verge readers. From now through Sunday, April 10th, you can get the Roomba i3 Plus for $459 when you use code VERGE40. This promo code knocks an additional $40 off the already-discounted price of $499. It’s not the lowest price we’ve ever seen for this robot vacuum, but it’s the best price since early 2022 — and since iRobot added more features like smart mapping via a firmware update, making it an even better value. Additionally, if you’re in the US, purchasing from Wellbots may not... Continue reading…

The gaming lifestyle. | Image: Bauhutte Here at The Verge, we occasionally like to write about gaming thrones, whether they’re shaped like scorpions, semi-circles, or... well, I’m not sure how to describe this one. But the thing with thrones is that the crown often weighs heavy — being MVP and getting play of the game every round can be tiring. Thankfully, Gizmodo found just the thing to help with that: a motorized gaming bed that moves you from the sleeping position to the pwning position with the press of a button, all the while keeping your gaming setup within arms’ reach.The Bauhutte Electric Gaming Bed and Bed Desk are made to work in tandem: your rig goes on the adjustable desk, which is designed to have a bed placed under it, and the bed frame uses motors to elevate... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The cost of Amazon Prime is going up in Canada just months after the company announced a price increase for US subscribers.The price increase marks the first hike for Canadian subscribers since the service launched there in 2013. Currently, Amazon charges $79 for an annual subscription or $8 monthly. After the price increase, Prime memberships in Canada will cost $99 per year or $10 per month. Student subscriptions will hike a dollar from $4 to $5.Andrew Gouveia, a spokesperson for Amazon Canada, tells The Verge that the price change will go into effect on April 8th for new subscribers and after May 13th for existing members, who will see the price change reflected at the time of their renewal. The Toronto Star earlier reported the... Continue reading…

Nissan plans to launch its first EV with a solid state battery by 2028 | Photo by Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP via Getty Images Nissan revealed a prototype production facility in Yokohama, Japan, on Friday, where the company says it plans to manufacture solid-state batteries for use in electric vehicles. The company said in a statement that it plans “to establish a pilot production line at its Yokohama Plant in fiscal 2024, with materials, design and manufacturing processes for prototype production on the line to be studied at the prototype production facility.” Nissan aims to bring its first EV with all-solid-state batteries to market in 2028.All-solid-state batteries could, in theory, charge more quickly, hold more power, and last longer than lithium-ion batteries that most EVs use now. Nissan said it expects to eventually use the batteries across its vehicle... Continue reading…

It’s asking the election results be overturned. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon has officially filed its objections to the Amazon Labor Union’s win in Staten Island, New York, and is asking the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to order a new election. The objections expand upon a document the company recently submitted that signaled its intent to fight the election results — the company now says that ALU members “intimidated employees,” “recorded voters in the polling place,” and “distributed marijuana to employees in exchange for their support,” according to an excerpt posted by Financial Times reporter Dave Lee.The full complaint was not immediately available from the NLRB on Friday. The Amazon Labor Union didn’t immediately reply to The Verge’s request for comment.In a statement emailed to The Verge,... Continue reading…

The Galaxy Watch 4 lineup is already big enough. | Photo by Dieter Bohn / The Verge While all gadgets have their design challenges, there’s one that continues to plague smartwatches — battery life. There are a few ways to mitigate that, but unfortunately, many smartwatch makers choose the absolute worst solution: making the smartwatch bigger.The latest example might be Samsung. According to a SamMobile report, the company is mulling a “Pro” version of the next-generation Galaxy Watch. Details were scant, except for one thing: this “Pro” model could potentially pack a much larger 572mAh battery.If true, that would be a meaningful upgrade. Poor battery life is one of the biggest complaints users have reported with Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 lineup. It’s also common for “Pro” models to act as the premium option with longer... Continue reading…

In especially bad news for those who try to reach Inbox Zero, Substack had a problem today that sent out some of the platform’s newsletters for a second time. Verge contributing editor Casey Newton noted it sent out a second copy of the free edition for his Platformer newsletter (which you can subscribe to here), and several of us have seen additional copies for some of the emails we subscribe to in our inboxes.Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie tells The Verge it was a “one-off bug.”

The all-electric Jeep Magneto 2.0 concept is based on a two-door Wrangler. | Image: Stellantis Jeep unveiled an updated Magneto 2.0 concept EV that renews its teasing of what the iconic off-roader could look like as a fully electric vehicle. Jeep didn’t mention any hardware upgrades for its custom-built motor but appears to have made some significant performance refinements from last year’s model.The Magneto 2.0’s motor operates at a lower RPM now, with higher peak amperage that it’s now capable of delivering for up to 10 seconds. It offers up to 850 pound-feet of torque — more than triple from last year — and 625 horsepower.quicker than a Tesla Model X Plaid and Rivian R1SJeep Magneto 2.0 carries the same mutant villain nameplate from last year’s prototype and still has a six-speed manual transmission — rare for an EV but... Continue reading…

The parents of HBO Max and Discovery Plus have officially completed their merger, allowing WarnerMedia and Discovery to build what the companies have said will be “the most differentiated content portfolio in the world.”Investors today approved the multibillion-dollar deal that will allow AT&T, WarnerMedia’s current owner, to offload its content powerhouse to Discovery and form a new business under the name Warner Bros. Discovery. This new business, the companies said last year, “will be able to invest in more original content for its streaming services, enhance the programming options across its global linear pay TV and broadcast channels, and offer more innovative video experiences and consumer choices.”Discovery president and CEO... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Many big YouTube creators have expressed frustration with an increase in comment spam on their channels in recent weeks, including Linus Tech Tips, Jacksepticeye, and MKBHD. The problem has been particularly acute for these high-profile creators, who often see more malicious commenters impersonate them in an attempt to scam their viewers.“YouTube has a problem. Spam,” Linus Sebastian said to start a February 1st video on his Linus Tech Tips channel. “From crypto scams to health supplements to free Robux, it just keeps getting worse with each passing day.”“YouTube comments spam has been next-level out of control for months,” reads the description for Marques “MKBHD” Brownlee’s April 1st video titled “YouTube Needs to Fix This.”Y... Continue reading…

Please do not pay Apple $50 for this outdated brick. | Image: Apple See this white brick? It puts out a measly 30W of power to a single device, yet Apple charges $50 for it. Please do not buy one because we now have firm evidence that Apple is about to replace it with something much, much better — a 35W charger with two ports, likely powered by gallium nitride (GaN) technology that might also make it smaller.That’s the word from 9to5Mac, which got this particular scrap of information from by far the most reliable source of Apple leaks: Apple’s own website. Apparently, the company accidentally threw a support document live for an “Apple 35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter,” and 9to5 managed to snap a screenshot before it was pulled. Screenshot by 9to5Mac 9to5Mac screenshotted an... Continue reading…

Image: Disney Wildly popular celebrity competition series Dancing With the Stars is heading to Disney Plus, marking the first live series to debut exclusively on the streaming service.The series previously aired 30 seasons across 16 years on ABC, Disney’s broadcast TV network. Disney said the series has an exclusive two-season pickup on Disney Plus and will premiere in the US and Canada in the fall. The show will be shot in front of a live audience by BBC Studios’ production arm in Los Angeles.Specifics about Disney Plus’ rights to past seasons are unclear. Asked whether Dancing With the Stars will air on broadcast at all moving forward or whether Disney Plus will get the entirety of the show’s catalog, Disney spokesperson Heather Levine told The... Continue reading…

The company often receives public assistance for its projects. | Photo by Nilay Patel / The Verge Despite SpaceX implying that the US didn’t give money to send Starlink terminals to Ukraine in March, a report from The Washington Post reveals that the government actually paid millions of dollars for equipment and transportation. The report found that the US Agency for International Development, or USAID, paid $1,500 apiece for 1,333 terminals, adding up to around $2 million. USAID disclosed the number of terminals it bought from the company in a press release from early April that has since been altered to remove mentions of the purchase.According to space reporter Joey Roulette, SpaceX donated 3,667 terminals to Ukraine, or around $10 million worth, after also factoring in the three months of data it provided with the terminals.... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Medical devices are one major weak point in health care cybersecurity, and both Congress and the Food and Drug Administration took steps towards closing that gap this week —Congress with a proposed bill and the FDA with new draft guidelines for device makers on how they should build devices that are less likely to be hacked.Devices like infusion pumps or imaging machines that are connected to the internet can be targets for hacks. Those attacks can siphon off patient data or put their safety directly at risk. Experts consistently find that devices in use today have vulnerabilities that could be exploited by hackers.The FDA, which regulates medical devices, has been trying to get a handle on this problem for a while. Back in 2014, it... Continue reading…

Photography by Monica Chin / The Verge Happy Friday, everyone. The deals capping off this week run the gamut from laptops and graphics cards to soundbars. Kicking things off, we have a noteworthy sale on the HP Envy x360 13-inch convertible laptop that has a gorgeous OLED screen. Normally this configuration costs $1,049.99, but it has been discounted to $699.99 at Best Buy. This is the lowest price we’ve ever seen for this model, which definitely warrants your attention.This flexible 2-in-1 laptop is equipped with an 11th Generation Intel Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of built-in storage. This isn’t the most powerful laptop out there, but it’s more than enough juice for most apps. Plus, if you need a versatile, mobile machine that’s particularly great for watching... Continue reading…

photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images We are several months into our new Wordle era (along with an expanded universe of clones like Worldle, Heardle, Numble, Poeltl, and many others) and a little over two months into The New York Times acting as stewards of the game after a “low seven figures” purchase. Besides altering the word list, the Times is introducing its biggest change yet by adding WordleBot, a tool that serves as a “daily companion” for your new favorite puzzle game.Like Wordle itself, WordleBot operates in the browser and runs locally, evaluating the completed puzzles on whatever computer and stored session you’re using to play. As The New York Times describes it, the bot started as an attempt to mathematically prove the best starting word, developed with its... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Block and Blockstream, a company that makes Bitcoin infrastructure, are partnering with Tesla on an open-source, solar-powered Bitcoin mine, the companies announced Friday. Tesla’s 3.8-megawatt Solar PV array and its 12 megawatt-hour Megapack will power the facility, and construction has started on the project.“Weʼre excited to start the construction of this facility using Tesla Solar and Megapack,” Adam Back, CEO and co-founder of Blockstream, said in a press release. “This is a step to proving our thesis that Bitcoin mining can fund zero-emission power infrastructure and build economic growth for the future.”The goal is for the facility to be completed “later this year.” When it’s running, there will be a publicly available... Continue reading…

Are you ready to be wholly responsible for miniature versions of these men? | Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic If you’ve ever wished you could spend all day long serving food to BTS... well, you probably can’t. But you’ll soon be able to do the next best thing: be solely responsible for keeping miniature versions of them alive on a Tamagotchi device. Bandai America has opened preorders for the TinyTan Tamagotchi, a version of the handheld game featuring the South Korean band. (BTS’s full name is Romanized as Bangtan Sonyeondan.)“We are incredibly excited to offer a new interactive experience with the beloved TinyTan characters, who are the adorable mini versions of the members of world phenomenon BTS,” Trish Garrett, brand strategist for Bandai America, said in a statement. “The TinyTan characters add a really fun spin on the Tamagotchi play... Continue reading…

Image: Microsoft Back in 2019, Microsoft finally got its own system for managing Android notifications from Windows. Since then, it has been possible to see notifications from your Android phone on your Windows 10 or 11 PC as they arrive and to pull up your entire SMS history along with any pending notifications on demand. You can even reply to messages and compose new texts right from your computer. Previously called Your Phone, the Windows app has recently (and appropriately) been renamed Phone Link.Here’s how to get started. (These directions assume you’ve updated your PC to Windows 11, but the process will be similar for Windows 10.) You’re going to be going back and forth from your computer to your phone, so get set.First, on your Windows... Continue reading…

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Florida with the Ax-1 crew on board | Image: NASA/Joel Kowsky This morning, SpaceX successfully launched a new crew of four astronauts to orbit on the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft — a group that includes three customers who have reportedly paid millions for their seats. The four private flyers, riding to space with a commercial aerospace company called Axiom Space, are now en route to the International Space Station after launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.When they dock with the ISS tomorrow morning, they’ll become the first entirely private crew of astronauts to visit and live on the orbiting lab. The crew is slated to spend roughly eight days on the ISS, where they’ll conduct a total of 25 science experiments lasting a cumulative 100 hours.Ax-1 is the first... Continue reading…

Google has become the latest manufacturer to partner with DIY repair specialists iFixit to offer spare parts for its devices, the search giant announced today. It’s a deal that should make it far easier for the average customer to get parts to repair their own Pixel smartphone if it breaks. Parts like batteries, displays, and cameras will be available to purchase in the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, and other European countries where the phones are sold. Parts will be available to purchase “later this year,” Google says.Spare parts will be available for an impressive range of Pixel phones, including the latest Pixel 6 devices and going all the way back to 2017’s Pixel 2. That means parts should be available for the kinds of aging... Continue reading…

The unreleased device showing an apparent lock screen. | Image: eBay An apparent prototype smart speaker from defunct smartphone manufacturer Essential has popped up in an eBay listing spotted by a keen-eyed Redditor. It offers a tantalizing glimpse at what the ambitious-yet-unreleased “Essential Home” device could have been and seems to be partially functional. The listing’s photos show the device’s circular screen illuminated, with elements like its lock screen and settings menus visible. The seller is asking for $900 plus shipping for the prototype.If you have no memory of the Essential Home then we wouldn’t blame you. The smart speaker was announced in May 2017 alongside the Essential Phone, and the company told Wired that it hoped to ship both later that summer. The phone would eventually release... Continue reading…